A calendar of Australia's most majestic natural wonders

At certain times throughout the year nature puts on a range of awe-inspiring performances you don’t want to miss.

Nature gives us the best calendar of events of all: a colourful light show that dances across the night sky, the appearance of a purple-drenched lavender field in full bloom, 40 million red crabs scurrying home for the night or the magnificence of the Great Barrier Reef’s annual coral spawning event. It’s all about being in the right place, at the right time. And for that, we give you this calendar of Australia’s natural wonders to factor into your travel plans throughout the year.

Aurora Australis

Seeing the Northern Lights has probably been scribbled on your bucket list for decades, but did you know that Australia has its own equally impressive light show?

Aurora Australis (aka The Southern Lights) are a phenomenon that occurs when fully charged particles burst from the sun, creating a solar wind that slams into the Earth’s magnetic field and rushes towards the North and South Poles. As the solar particles collide with atoms of nitrogen and oxygen in our atmosphere, their electrons charge, leaving ions that radiate energy in wavelengths that produce a spectacular natural dancing rainbow (main picture featured above: Aurora Australis in Strahan by Dietmar Kahles).

Aurora Australis over Cradle Mountain in Tasmania. (Credit: Pierre Destribats)

When can you see the Aurora Australis?

Although an Aurora can technically be seen at any time of year, the clear, dark skies of winter are often best. And thanks to modern technology (slash social media) there are a number of online resources to check in with that might increase your chances of getting a glimpse – including Aurora-Service.net and the Aurora Australis Tasmania Alert NOW Facebook page.

Where can you see the Aurora Australis?

Like any good skyward phenomenon, your best chance of catching a glimpse occurs far from the light pollution of cities and towns, and other obstructions like trees and mountain ranges. The further south you go, the likelier it is to be seen. Tasmania, Victoria – this is where the magic happens.

For a comprehensive guide to the Southern Lights, head here.

Blooming season at lavender fields

Rows upon rows of purple drenched lavender fields are grown on farms all around Australia – and if you visit at the right time, you’re invited to frolic through its fields while in bloom.

The picturesque lavender fields at Bridestowe Lavender Estate.

Where and when can you see lavender farms in bloom?

There are a number of places to view the purple perfection, but one of the most prized locations is Bridestowe Lavender. Located an hour outside of Launceston, the seemingly endless fields of lavender bloom each year between December and January.

Likewise, the lavender fields in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales are in full bloom usually between December and February.

Head here to locate the most beautiful lavender farms around Australia.

Coral spawning on the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef’s annual mass coral spawning has been called the biggest sexual event on the planet – and even the world’s biggest orgasm on the world’s biggest organism.

Translation: over a few nights, the waters of individual reefs burst with new life. Countless sperm and egg bundles are released simultaneously, creating a spectacular snow globe-esque explosion of synchronous breeding.

Flynn Reef erupts Flynn Reef erupts in an explosion of pink as corals begin their annual spawning on the Great Barrier Reef — Flynn Reef erupts in an explosion of pink as corals release tiny balls containing sperm and eggs into the water. (Image: Gareth Phillips/Reef Teach)

When does coral spawning happen?

Over two or three nights at various times between October and December. If you’re visiting from Cairns, the spawning usually occurs within a week of the November full moon.

Where can I see coral spawning?

Divers Den operate special night trips departing from Cairns that get divers and snorkellers up close and personal to the coral spawning event.

Learn more about Coral Spawning here.

Penguin Parade

Phillip Island is one of the premier places on the planet to secure a personal penguin experience – and not from far, far away either. Each night, visitors can witness the compact creatures interact, groom each other and waddle up the beach back to their burrow after a hard day in the ocean.

There’s a range of options for seeing the penguins as they hit the sand each evening, ranging from the general viewing pass, to the ‘penguins plus’ pass (it’ll get you up front and closer to the ‘penguin parade’, plus a talk from a ranger prior to the stars of the show making their appearance) as well as a special private guided tour, which will take you to an isolated spot to spy on the little critters away from the main parade thoroughfare.

Penguins assemble at The Penguin Parade — The Penguin Parade on Phillip Island is the home of the largest Little Penguin colony in the world.

When is the Penguin Parade?

Every night at sunset.

Where is the Penguin Parade?

Phillip Island (a 90-minute drive from Melbourne).

WA’s wildflower season

Western Australia’s wildflower season appears like a magical carpet in the southern half of the vast state at the dawn of spring.

There are big, bold blooms, but most are small and delicate, with fine fringing, intricate patterns and minute details best observed up close. WA is home to 12,000 species of flowering natives, 70 per cent of which are found nowhere else in the world. Incredibly, more are being discovered every year.

Yellow wildflowers in WA — WA is home to 12,000 species of flowering natives, 70 per cent of which are found nowhere else in the world.

When is the best time to see WA’s wildflowers?

The mass bloom starts around the hotter, drier mid-point of WA late in June. It then flows southward as the weather warms, hitting its peak in September and continuing towards November.

Where can you see WA’s wildflowers?

Once wildflower season hits, grab your camera and make a beeline for Perth. There are many great places to spot them right in the city centre.

Alternatively, floral seekers can also tour the surrounding Perth Hills and journey north, east and south of the metropolis.

Staircase to the Moon

Come sunset, the best free show in Broome is the Staircase to the Moon, which happens several times throughout the year . It occurs when a full moon rises over the mudflats of Roebuck Bay at low tide and looks like a huge staircase rising up to meet an enormous blood-orange moon.

Stairway to the Moon, Broome, Kimberley, WA — ‘Staircase to the Moon’ at Roebuck Bay in Broome.

When does the Staircase to the Moon occur?

The Staircase to the Moon phenomenon happens two to three days a month between March and October. Check the exact dates here.

Where can I see the Staircase to the Moon?

Broome’s Roebuck Bay. Grab a bite from one of the stalls at the Staircase to the Moon markets – they run in sync with the appearance of the staircase – and settle in for the show.

Morning Glory Cloud

The aptly named Morning Glory Cloud is a stunning solitary rolling cloud wave that forms over the Gulf of Carpentaria early on spring mornings. With a length of up to 1000 kilometres, it even made the Guinness Book of World Records, and only in Australia can you regularly witness its series of long, cigar-shaped clouds.

The cloud is created when sea breezes from either side of Cape York collide, creating a singular wave (or Soliton) in the atmosphere. The powerful and fast-moving crest of the wave is what you can suddenly see in the otherwise blue sky.

Where can I see the Morning Glory Cloud?

Far northwest Queensland’s Gulf of Carpentaria. Burketown in the southeast corner of the Gulf is a good spot to regularly witness the cloud.

When can I see the Morning Glory Cloud?

From September to November, the cloud can be viewed in the early morning; charter flights are available for viewing.

Christmas Island crabs

Christmas Island is one of Australia’s most remote and beautiful territories, yet many Australians are completely unaware of the island’s outstanding natural beauty, fascinating history and a melting pot of cuisines to enjoy.

What are the Christmas Island crabs?

Once described by Sir David Attenborough as “the world’s greatest migration," the Christmas Island crab phenomenon happens once a year. The island’s native red crabs, which normally spend their lives wandering around the forest floor eating leaf litter, leave their homes in the rainforest and descend to the island’s beaches to breed.

It’s thought there are more than 40 million red crabs on the island, and when they decide to migrate to mate, a trip that takes them a week or so, roads and beaches transform into a moving red carpet.

When can you see Christmas Island crabs?

Christmas Island red crabs move en masse each year in the wet season of October/November from the island’s forests to the ocean.

Where can you see Christmas Island crabs?

Christmas Island is located in the Indian Ocean, 2600 kilometres northwest of Perth.

Blue Lake in Mt Gambier

If ever you needed evidence that spring’s arrival is a reason to celebrate, then look to Mt Gambier. Every year as the seasons change the town’s moody body of water – the Blue Lake – commemorates with a brilliant change of colour. The Boadnik people’s oral history of the area alludes to ancestors witnessing the volcanic activity that created the many lakes in the area more than 4000 years ago.

The Blue Lake Mount Gambier — The wide crater lake turns a brilliant sapphire blue over the warmer months.

When can you see the Blue Lake?

To see the lake in its two stages is something else, as though you’re at two very different places on Earth. The summer version sparkles like Lake Como, only more Australian. The winter version is a dreary, grey hue. During hibernation, it is more of a grey/blue lake. Then, in November, it changes to a brilliant sparkling blue.

It’s also the main source of water for the town of Mt Gambier, so don’t pack your bathers expecting to have a dip.

Torquay’s Bells Beach is considered one of the best surf beaches in the world.

It’d be easy to think Australian surf culture was born around the right-hand point breaks of the Gold Coast and Byron Bay. These regions seem the epitome of how the world views Aussie surfers – bronzed (or burnt), languishing in warm water and sunshine. The reality is a lot different.

The rise of surf culture along Victoria’s coastline

surfers at Bells Beach in Australia — Surfers stand on the shore at Bells Beach, where the country’s biggest surfing competition is held each year. (Image: Getty/Filed Image)

True Aussie surf culture was born on the chilly waves of Victoria’s winters, when huge swells from the Great Southern Ocean hit cliff-lined beaches along the Great Ocean Road . These beaches were the ultimate proving ground – surfers from all over Australia arrived in panel vans and VWs to do battle with the biggest waves they could find.

Surfers take advantage of the huge swells from the Great Southern Ocean at Bells Beach. (Image: Tourism Australia/Cameron Murray)

There are surf breaks all along this very picturesque coast – but those around Torquay were most revered. The ultimate test of a surfer’s ability – and durability – however, was Bells Beach: Australia’s answer to Hawai‘i’s Pipeline. Just beyond, the breaks at Jan Juc and Winkipop beckoned.

an aerial view of surfers at Bells Beach — Hit the waves along the picturesque coast. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Torquay became surfing’s Silicon Valley: HQ for the entire Australian surf culture revolution. Four young locals worked out of their backyards in Torquay to create two of the world’s biggest surf labels – Rip Curl and Quiksilver , which soon became the region’s biggest employers.

surfers out at Bells Beach — Surfers out at Bells Beach, Victoria’s most famous beach. (Image: Tourism Australia/Cameron Murray)

Rip Curl started sponsoring the Bells Beach Pro in 1973 – and have done ever since. It’s been going since 1962 – making it the world’s longest continually run surfing contest. Held every Easter, it’s part of the world surfing tour. Spectators line its 30-metre-high cliffs to watch the world’s best take on enormous waves – it’s the ultimate coliseum for the sport and has inspired generations of Aussie surfers to join the list of heroes whose names are on its iconic bell.

Follow the waves through Victoria’s surfing heartland

Australian National Surfing Museum, Torquay — The Australian National Surfing Museum in Torquay. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Just behind Torquay’s main drag, you can see all that history on display at the world’s best surf museum – the Australian National Surfing Museum . Here you can take your time absorbing the 100-year-or-so history of Australian surfing and check out the 150-strong surfboard collection.

surfboards on display at Australian National Surfing Museum — The museum holds surfing memorabilia, including a room dedicated to the history of boards. (Image: Tourism Australia)

But classic Aussie surf culture can be observed in everyday life all over the Great Ocean Road and Torquay. Surfing dictates life here; no work is done until the big swells have come and gone. Just being here provides a window into 60-odd years of rebellion against convention; for no-one likes nine-to-five living on the Great Ocean Road.

surfing memorabilia at Australian National Surfing Museum — The varied displays celebrate the Bells Beach competition, surfing legends and Aussie surf culture. (Image: Tourism Australia)

There’s less panel vans and VW Beetles these days, but surf culture still rules life. Surfers run this coast; you’re better off keeping out of their way when they’re running down past you to face the biggest swells – then hear them swap stories at cafes, restaurants and bars all around you.

surfing at Bells Beach — The beach near Torquay is Australia’s answer to Hawai‘i’s Pipeline. (Image: Visit Victoria/William Watt)

A calendar of Australia’s most majestic natural wonders